Introducing the 1st Ever Electric Pickup Truck…The Rivian R1T

We know that Tesla is the sexy electric car maker that has revolutionized how thousands choose to commute and travel. Tesla has taught us that electric also means loads of torque and incredible acceleration.

Tesla is also a premium vehicle used today primarily by wealthier buyers. And that’s great! Like all new technologies, initially only the rich can afford it, but as manufacturing and scale improves, and competition kicks in, the consumer wins with more choices becoming available to the masses.

We LOVE Tesla and the promise of electric vehicles. We LOVE the idea of less pollution.

But a Tesla or Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt will not haul my boat. Electric cars will not carry my load at home depot. And Electric cars will not supplant the number one, two, and three best selling vehicles in the U.S. (The Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, and Dodge Ram Pickup.)

The folks at Rivian know this. Americans work with trucks. Americans live with trucks. Americans have fun with trucks. Americans get the work done with trucks.

Now trucks aren’t for everyone. But there’s a reason trucks are the best selling vehicles in the United States for decades.

So Rivian announced the first all electric pickup truck. it’s all wheel drive with a motor at each wheel.

RANGE: 400+ mile range! This is impressive as this is around what I typically get in my Ford F-150 supercrew.

YouTuber Sean Mitchell did a video comparing the Rivian R1T to the Ford F-150 and comparing spec for spec.

Clearly, the Rivian will have the advantage in performance. The F-150 has more practical payload capacities and towing.

However, the big thing is trust. I trust Ford, Chevy, and Dodge over Rivian. Who the heck are these guys? Granted, they’re a startup and we’re very impressed with what they’re doing, but without a dealer network, service network, and unknown pricing at this point, it’s tough to just jump over to the Rivian until they start building a reputation.

We are rooting for the folks at Rivian, and frankly we’re hoping the traditional automakers start producing some all electric versions of their trucks. It would be pretty awesome to drive a reliable all electric Ford or Chevy pickup.

What about Tesla? Weren’t they building a pickup truck? Well, Tesla has only teased us, but hasn’t shared a prototype or concept yet. Here’s what Sean Mitchell shared about the Tesla Pickup Truck: